Inkstand



(No Model.)

J. THOMSON.

INKSTAND. No. 579,906. Patented Mar. 30,1897.

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UNTTEn STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

JOHN THOMSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

INKSTAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,906, dated March30, 1897. Application filed January 15, 1897. Serial No. 619,858. (Nomodel.)

struction that a'small quantity of ink from the reserve may be forcedupwardly through the dip-fountain and be retained in its flaring basinfor use, or the charge may be withdrawn therefrom andreturned back intothe reservoir at will.

As the principles of my invention maybe carried into practice by variousarrangements of parts I have not only shown in the accompanying drawingssuch a construction as I regard best adapted for the purpose, but alsoincidental modifications thereof to indicate the scope of itsadaptability. Thus- In said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical centralsection illustrating the preferred construction and operation of thedevice. 2 is a part section and elevation with a portion of thereservoir broken away, and also indicating a modification in the methodof attaching the separate well or reservoir to the stand. Figs. 3 and 4are diagrams illustrating how modifications in the detail ofconstruction may be carried out if necessary or desirable.

The inkstand is comprised in the main stand or casing B, (which may ormay not be utilized as a well or reservoir,) the dipfountain ordip-funnel O, and the ink-well D. The dip-fountain is provided with apiston portion 5, from which a tube 6 extends downwardly, its inner openend 7 being preferablp tapered and adapted to a conical valveseat 8 ofthe well, in the upper cylindrical neck 9 of which the piston operates.The outer surface of the dip-fountain where it is grasped by thefingers, as at 10, is knurled in the usual manner. The piston is adaptedto act freely in the cylindrical neck, but the Fig.

inner end of the tube is fitted to make an air and ink tight joint.

In Fig. 1 the ink is shown within the reserve well or reservoir, andalso up in the flaring basin 12 of the dip-fountain, ready to be dippedout by the pen. If the dip-fountain be slightly withdrawn, as to theposition shown in Fig. 2, the seal at the valve-seat 8 will be broken,the result being that the working charge in the fountain will slowlyflow back into the well, thereby displacing the air through the closelyyet freely fitted, but not air-tight, joint between the piston and theneck. So, too, the dip-fountain itself may slowly sink until it reachesthe position shown in Fig. 1, but without increasing the height of theink within the tube. Now to again charge the dip-fountain it is simplynecessary to partially withdraw it, as to the position shown in Fig. 2,and then somewhat quickly depress it, as in Fig. 1, the consequence ofthis being to compress the air in the well and cause the ink to flow upthrough the tube and replenish the fountain before the compressed aircan escape past the freelyfitted piston.

I will now call attention to an important detail in the construction,without which the device would have little or no commercialadvantage-namely, that the bore P in the dip-fountain is conical, itssmallest diameter being at the bottom, gradually increasing in diameteruntil it merges into the flared basin portion of the. fountain. Theconsequence of this is that when the dip-fountain is quickly depressedthe ink rises in a solid column with a decreasing velocity of flow fromthe bottom of the tube up to the basin, lience not only avoids squirtinga jet of ink upon the fingers of the operator, but obtains a smallperforation, requiring the minimum quantity to be elevated andpresenting but slight area for evaporation.

Obviously any desired depth of ink may be secured in the fountain; also,if the ink therein becomes foul it can be thrown out without loss fromthe well or without soiling the fingers. To fill or cleanse the well, itis simply required to entirely withdraw the dip-fountain.

A contingent advantage of the conical cavity at the bottom of the wellis that practi- ICO cally all of the ink can be pumped up into thefountain.

The well or reservoir when formed as a part separate from the stand ispreferably made of hard rubberby the blowing process, and as anair-tight joint is not required between it and the stand, it being onlynecessary to prevent it from shifting when operating the fountain, Iprovide the well with projections 1%, which may readily be pared orfiled to secure the necessary adhesion.

The well may either be suspended by its flange 15, Fig. 2, if the standis of blown glass, or by simply reducing its diameter to obtain sharpcorners at the edge it may be inserted, as Fig. 1, until its uppersurface coincides with the interior beveled edge, as 16, of a cut-glassstand, the latter arrangement not only being ele ant in appearance andfinish, but providing a circular basin to receive the ink should any bespilled when dipping out from the fountain or filling the well.

In Fig. 3 I have shown how the same conditions may be obtained byemploying the stand to perform the function of the separate reserve wellor reservoir. This requires that the head 17 shall be fitted air-tightto the stand, as by the gasket 18, and that the arm 19, integral with orattached to the head, shall pass to the bottom of the reservoir andengage the end of the dip-fountain to effect a seal. Again, in Fig. a Ishow how the seal for the end of the inner end of the dip-fountain maybe in a bushing 20, inserted in a cavity molded in the stand, orit mightbe directly in the stand itself. The dotted outline 21 denotes that thepiston portion of the dip-fountain may be of uniform diameter down to,or nearly to, the bottom of the well or l'CSOlVOll.

Two important advantages will now be pointed out as the result of thisarrangement and construction over that heretofore accomplished, namely:

First. To permit the ink to recede from the fountain, it is notnecessary to even temporarily retain hold of the fountain. Simply par--tially withdraw it. The subsequent action is automatic.

Second. The dip-fountain may be left filled and the stand be subjectedto heat without causing the ink to overflow, in that the expanded air inthe well or reservoir cannot act upon the ink in the dip-fountain, butwill slowly escape past the side of the piston.

In other devices wherein the ink in the well is constantly incommunication with the ink in the dip-fountain annoying overflows arecaused, as by the temporary exposure of the stand to sunlight.

What I claim is- In an inkstand, the combination with a well providedwith an inclosing head, of a dipfunnel having a closely-fitted, but notairtight, piston-bearing in the head and a valveseat for the lower endof the funnel at the bottom of the well, the arrangement andconstruction being such that when the dip-funnel is depressed the air inthe well is compressed causing, first, the ink in the well to flowdirectly from the well into the fountain and then, second, sealing thebottom of said fountain to retain the ink so elevated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN TIIOMSON.

lVitnesses:

JOHN MoKINNoN, CAROLINE E. DAVIDSON.

